


Adrift

by rachelanne716



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Cheesey Romance, F/M, Hawaii, not demigods au, post college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 09:18:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3169559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachelanne716/pseuds/rachelanne716
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Both on vacation in Hawaii, Percy and Annabeth meet for the first time and don't quite hit it off. Distracted by meeting a rude stranger, they soon find themselves stranded in the ocean with only a surfboard between the two of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on Piper,” Annabeth said as she surfaced, “I thought I saw a green sea turtle swim behind that rock over there.” 

Piper sighed, “I know you wanted to see all the animals on your list Annabeth, but we’ve been snorkeling for hours. I’m not even sure we’re supposed to be in these waters.” 

Annabeth waved her off, “Don’t worry I did all my research before coming on this trip. I know exactly what to do if we’re carried away by a rip current, which we won’t be because I also read up on how to spot them. Where we are is perfectly safe.” She knew Piper worried, but Annabeth trusted the knowledge she had of the ocean. Piper had warned her many times before that she can get too cocky, but since Annabeth was rarely wrong she didn’t care if she offended anyone. “The sea turtle is the last thing on the list. I can’t go back to the hotel now. Once I finally see one, then we can head back.” 

“Alright, fine.” Piper relented “When we’re done I want tacos for dinner.” She then disappeared beneath the waves. Annabeth followed after her swimming ahead to show Piper where she thought she saw that sea turtle. Just a bit past this rock an- There it is! Annabeth stopped, unclipped the underwater camera attached to her waist and brought it up to her eye. She got a couple shots before the turtle noticed her and swam away. By the time Piper caught up to her, the elusive turtle was gone. Annabeth gave Piper thumbs up underwater to let her know she got her picture. Piper grinned and swam up for air. 

When Annabeth broke the surface of the water, Piper was already making her way toward the shore. Piper threw a look at Annabeth over her shoulder and yelled, “Come on I’m starving!” Annabeth grinned, but before she could respond, a surfer sped past Piper almost running her over. The surfer didn’t seem to notice even when Piper squealed in surprise. He kept following the wave coming closer and closer to Annabeth.

“HEY!” Annabeth waved her arms, “You almost ran over my friend you ass!” Her shout seemed to catch him off guard and he lost his balance tumbling into the water. Annabeth glanced at Piper whose eyes were still wide in surprise.

“Why’d you do that?” Piper said swimming over, “He didn’t actually hurt me.”

“Yeah but he could have! People need to be more careful when snorkelers are around. It’s not my responsibility to watch ou-” Annabeth was cut off when the black haired surfer came spluttering to the surface. He reached out for his board and stared at Annabeth incredulous. 

“WHAT WAS THAT?” He practically yelled.

Annabeth scoffed, “You almost ran over my friend. You could have really hurt her and I don’t think it’s very responsible of you to be surfing without being on the lookou-”

“Whoa whoa, slow down.” His hands were held out in front of him and he glanced over at Piper, “If I really did almost run you over, I’m sorry, but what are two snorkelers doing in these waters anyway? No one is allowed over here.”

Piper looked at Annabeth, “See! I told you we shouldn’t have come this way.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes, “I think I’d know if these waters were off limits. Besides if you say this beach isn’t open for the public, what are you doing surfing here?”

He seemed taken aback. “Uh, I’ve lived her for 4 years. I know these beaches as well as the back of my hand and this beach isn’t dangerous to those who know what they’re doing.” 

Annabeth was ready to set this guy straight when another surfer, this one blonde, stopped besides Piper, “What’s the problem?”

Annabeth noticed Piper eye the new guy up as she said, “These two are all huffed because your friend here-“

The dark haired surfer interrupted, “Percy, my name’s Percy.” 

“Your friend Percy” Piper gestured toward him, “Almost ran me over, I’m fine though, and my friend, Annabeth, is overreacting about the whole situation.”

Percy smirked as he floated beside his board. “See? There’s no problem here. Nice meeting you two and have a great day.” Could this guy get anymore smug? Annabeth was furious that he was waving this off so easily. As he started to get up on his board she grabbed the side of it stopping him. 

“Oh no. We are not done.” She glared at him across the surfboard. “Regardless of whether or not this beach is restricted, you need to be conscious of your surroundings or next time you will hurt someone.” 

“Are you lecturing me?” He stared back at her, eyes wide. “Are you so full of yourself that have to prove you’re right even to a complete stranger?”

Offended, Annabeth said, “Well is your brain so full of seaweed that you can’t even recognize when you’re wrong?”

Piper swam up and put a hand on Annabeth’s shoulder, “Guys calm down. You’re blowing this out of proportion.”

Percy and Annabeth snapped at her, “Stay out of this!”

“Ooooooookay then,” Piper said as she backed away. She turned and looked at Percy’s friend. He shrugged not knowing what to say. Annabeth knew Piper hated it when she got this way, but she just had to prove her point to this idiot. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Piper and Blonde surfer guy started having a conversation of their own. She couldn’t hear what they were saying because Percy had started babbling again. 

The next 10 minutes were kind of a blur to Annabeth. She doesn’t remember much of the argument past Piper trying to intervene since the insults started to blend together after that. She did however remember how much he infuriated her. Annabeth had never met someone this aggravating, this stubborn. Most people let Annabeth win arguments because it was obvious that she was always right. Or maybe it was because she intimated them. She had trouble telling the difference between the two. Unlike everyone else though, Percy just wouldn’t give up, or shut up for that matter. It was in the middle of Percy waving his hands around angrily that Annabeth finally looked around. 

“Where did Piper and your friend go?” Annabeth scanned the water looking for them. Percy’s eyebrows furrowed as he too searched for their friends. 

When he faced Annabeth, his eyes were panicked as he said, “More importantly, where did the shoreline go?” Annabeth noticed his chest started to move up and down as he took in fast anxious breaths. She looked around again and saw that which she overlooked the first time. She and Percy were surrounded on all sides by the ocean with no land in sight. This time when they’re eyes met, both of their anger was replaced with fear.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy and Annabeth snapped at her, “Stay out of this!”

“Ooooooookay then,” Piper said as she backed away. She turned and looked at Percy’s friend. He shrugged not knowing what to say. Piper hated being around Annabeth when she got like this so she decided to do something she never did, “Hey Blondie, I’ve been craving tacos for hours. Join me?”

His eyes darted to Percy and Annabeth who had started arguing again, “Yeah. I don’t think I want to stick around and the name is Jason, not Blondie.” 

Piper grinned, said “Suit yourself”, and the two of them left their friends floating in the ocean oblivious that to the fact that they were just ditched. Once Jason and Piper reached the beach, Jason offered to give Piper a ride back to her hotel so she could change before eating. They walked in silence to his car and Jason surprised Piper by holding the door open for her. Piper had been on dates before, but no boy had ever done that before. She was so surprised she couldn’t help it when her jaw dropped a bit. Jason saw and a blush crept across his perfectly chiseled face. Speaking of his face, Piper’s heart started racing the longer she stared at it. Stop that. Get yourself together you just met him. She finally managed a smile and sat down in the car. Jason walked to the driver’s side, got in himself, started the car, and pulled out of the parking spot. 

Now that Piper wasn’t focusing on Annabeth anymore, she took a long look at her new companion. Jason had sandy blonde hair, whether it was actually that color or was coated with sand, she couldn’t tell, and an even tan to match. Piper usually wasn’t the girl to pine after guys, but one look at him and she finally understood why girls could get so love struck. She wasn’t surprised that he agreed to go get dinner with her, Piper could almost always talk people into things. That is, everyone, but Annabeth. She was so stubborn and hardheaded, but that’s why they were best friends, they evened each other out. Annabeth was the realist who couldn’t handle being wrong, relied heavily on her intellect, and loved boring things like architecture and working hard. Piper was the idealist who had an uncanny ability to see people for who they really were and could talk her way out of any situation. They were lucky to be paired as roommates their first semester at Cornell University. It was odd that living together actually worked out for the two of them since they were so different. Four years later though and the two of them were still best friends.

Jason’s voice brought her out of her thoughts, “What hotel are you staying at?”

“The Marriot. It’s up this road for a while then take a left at the second stop light.”

It wasn’t long before they arrived at Piper’s hotel. Jason threw on a t-shirt and told her he’d just wait in the car for her to change. She promised she wouldn’t be long and rushed upstairs. As soon as she entered her room she went directly to the bathroom and surveyed the damage a day outside did to her hair. Normally Piper didn’t care what she looked liked, but for some reason she cared what this boy she just met thought about her. Luckily Piper didn’t burn easily so her skin was fine, but she still needed to salvage her hair somehow. A braid seemed the fastest option so Piper did a messy French braid and figured that was good enough. Her bathing suit was dry by now so she didn’t bother changing out of it and just threw some clothes on top. One last look in the mirror and she was back out the door. 

Jason took them to his favorite restaurant where he claimed there were the best fish tacos on the island. After getting her order, Piper admitted that they were indeed the best she’s ever had. Jason’s triumphant smile was smug, but not in a mean way, more in a teasing “I told you so” way. She didn’t think she had ever met a guy as polite and courteous as Jason in her whole life. He was a complete gentleman, quick to smile at anything she said, and an interesting person to boot. 

“So what are you doing in Hawaii?” Jason asked leaning forward onto the table.

“After graduating Annabeth and I wanted to go on an adventure. Originally it was just going to be a road trip to no place in particular, but my dad wanted to give me a big graduation present and he insisted to pay for a trip to Hawaii. He knew I’ve always wanted to come here.”

“Your dad bought you a trip to Hawaii as a present?”

“Well yeah and he paid for Annabeth too.” Piper looked down at her lap, she didn’t like talking about her father. When she did, people thought she was rubbing his fame and money in their faces and she would never do that. 

“Wow, what a guy.” Jason smiled and took another bite. Piper smiled back, glad he didn’t pursue the topic. “You said you just graduated, what did you get a degree in?”

“A Bachelor’s Degree in Communication. Everyone tells me a have a way with words and I’ve wanted to be a motivational speaker since I was a little girl.”

“Don’t most little girls want to be ballerinas or vets or something like that?”

“Well,” Piper raised her eyebrows, “I’m not like most girls.”

Jason’s smile was big this time. “Yeah,” He said, “I can see that.” Piper saw the beginning of wrinkles forming near the edges of his eyes. She liked that about a guy, it meant he smiled a lot. 

“What did you want to be when you were a little boy?”

“Superman, but I’m not an alien from another plant so that was unrealistic. Instead, I just graduated with an Associates Degree in Aviation. If I can’t be Superman, I can at least fly.”

“Ooooh. You’ll have to take me on a ride sometime.”

“As soon as I get my own plane, you’ll be the first I take up.” Jason was sincere and Piper could tell. She was flattered that he would promise her such a thing. 

“So you said you got your Associates Degree for Aviation here? Have you always lived in Hawaii or did you come here for college?” Piper asked.

“Came here for college. Percy was my best friend in high school and when he got a free ride on a swimming scholarship to the University of Hawaii I thought I should apply too. As a senior in high school, going to college here,” Jason then gestured at everything around them, “with my best bud was living the dream. After we graduated, we decided to hang around a bit longer.” 

“Do the two of you usually try to run over young women with your surfboards to impress them?”

Jason laughed and Piper thought she would like to see him laugh more often. “No, that’s just Percy. He doesn’t always make the best first impressions. In fact when I first met him, I thought he was harassing my sister. He wasn’t, he had just tripped while skateboarding and fell. I came across him laying on top of her.”

It was Piper’s turn to laugh now, “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Jason smiled remembering the scene, “My sister Thalia can take care of herself. She pushed Percy off and punched him in the face.”

Piper was still laughing when their waitress came by with the check. Jason gave the girl his debit card before Piper could even protest about him buying her meal. As the waitress walked away Piper thanked him and told him he didn’t have to do that. Jason, of course, waved her off. “I suggested the place, I should pay for the meal.” 

“Alright well thanks again. I’m going to hit the restroom before we leave. Meet by the car?” Jason nodded and Piper headed to the bathroom. 

Heading out to the parking lot, Piper came up behind Jason’s car and noticed he was inspecting his reflection in the mirror. He squinted and fluffed his hair, picking at individual strands to put them in the right place. Piper smiled, so even the perfect handsome guys of the world got nervous some times. Walking up to the passenger side, Piper saw Jason jump and close his mirror. She pretended she didn’t see it to spare him the explanation. 

Another short car ride later and they were back at Piper’s hotel. Piper turned to Jason, “I’d love to continue this. This hanging out with you, but I feel bad I ditched Annabeth back there and I should check up on her.”

Jason nodded, “I understand although we’ll have to do this again before your vacation is over.”

“I’d like that.” Piper smiled and suddenly got very self-conscious. This was the part where after most dates, the guy would make the decision whether or not he would try to kiss her. This didn’t exactly start off like most of her dates so she wasn’t sure what Jason was going to do.

“I’ll give you a call at your hotel room. I had a really nice time with you Piper.” Jason leaned closer. So he was going in for a kiss, not that Piper minded. In fact, Piper might have been hoping she would get to kiss Jason tonight. She closed her eyes, puckered her lips, leaned in slightly, and felt his lips brush her cheek. Her eyes opened as Jason pulled away. When she realized what she did, Piper felt the cheek Jason just kissed start to grow red. “See you next time.” Jason smiled. 

She stuttered as she said, “Ye-Yeah, uh Goodbye Jason.” Piper got out of the car as calmly as possible. Hopefully Jason didn’t notice what she had just done, if he did, he did a really good job hiding it. She figured he was the type of person to ignore an embarrassing situation to spare humiliating that person. Piper could get used to having a guy like that around. Maybe tonight she’d call up her dad and ask for another week of vacation, another week to get to know Jason. 

Piper was still thinking about Jason when she stepped into the hotel room and became immediately worried. Where she had expected to see Annabeth sprawled out on her bed reading some boring book, the bed was empty. She had been gone with Jason for almost two hours, Annabeth should have been back by now. Piper practically ran out the door and down to the reception desk. After the receptionist said she hadn’t seen Annabeth since they left that morning, Piper knew something had gone wrong. She was probably overreacting, but it wasn’t like Annabeth to disappear, especially without telling her. Piper ran back up to the room and was in the middle of putting her jacket back on to go out and search for Annabeth when the phone rang. 

“Hello?” Piper said, slightly out of breath from running.

“Piper? This is Jason. I went back to my apartment that I share with Percy and he isn’t here. Could you ask Annabeth when she last saw him?”

“Annabeth isn’t here either. I don’t know where she could be and its not like her to not tell me where she is and I’m starting to get really worried and don’t know what to do.” 

“Alright don’t freak out. First things first, lets go to the beach and see if they’re still there.”

In a matter of minutes, Piper and Jason were back at the beach. Piper looked around, “I don’t see them on the beach or in the water, they aren’t here.”

“Wait, I see Percy’s dry clothes and towel still sitting where he left them. He wouldn’t leave without his favorite t-shirt. Do you have a cell phone on you?” Jason asked her.

“Yeah,” Piper responded, “Why do you ask?”

“I need you to call the Coast Guard and report that we think two people got dragged out to sea.”


	3. Chapter 3

After Piper called in their emergency, she and Jason raced over to the pier. He told her that a couple of his friends had joined the Coast Guard so he might be able to get them to take Piper and him out on the water. They arrived at the boat right before it was about the push off. Out of breath, Jason explained that he and Piper had called in the missing people and the coasties welcomed them aboard.

It was all Piper could do not to have a panic attack. She was the one that invited Annabeth to Hawaii and she was the one who left Annabeth in the ocean. Her breathing was too quick, too shallow and she kept thinking about what state Annabeth might be in at this very moment. To try and distract herself from her thoughts, Piper looked to Jason. He seemed so in control of himself, his face betraying no emotions. From how he talked about Percy, she knew that the two of them were close, so it surprised her that he wasn’t on the verge of a meltdown like she was. He approached the situation calmly and pragmatically, helping the coasties out as much as he could. Piper knew she wasn’t any help. They asked specific questions like what beach they were on, how far out they were swimming, and what time did they last see their friends. Luckily, Jason knew the answers. Piper’s thoughts were so jumbled, knowing herself, she would have sent them searching in the opposite direction. 

A couple hours of searching was how long it took until someone spotted a speck bobbing on the horizon. Piper was stretched out over the railing trying to get a closer look. The boat moved steadily closer to the figures and yet the two people who Piper was now certain, were Annabeth and Percy, didn’t notice the rescue team. She squinted confused until she realized that they were hanging on to each other. Actually, Piper’s eyes widened, Percy and Annabeth were kissing, their faces hidden by Annabeth’s curls. Piper watched Annabeth grasp the back of Percy’s head and neck. He responded by pressing her closer, his hands on her waist. It wasn’t until the boat disturbed the water around the surfboard that the two of them broke apart. At that point, Piper starting waving her arms so Annabeth would notice her. At first, when Annabeth turned on the board to face the ship, Percy seemed confused that she stopped before he too noticed the ship. The relief on Annabeth’s face broke out in a huge smile as she waved happily at Piper. Percy joined in on the waving as the two of them swung their legs around to face the boat.

Once their friends were safely out of the water, Piper threw her arms around Annabeth hugging her tightly. “I was so worried about you! Are you alright?! Is everything okay?! You aren’t hurt are you?” Piper said into Annabeth’s shoulder, “I shouldn’t have left you in the water and gone out for tacos with Jason! I’m so sorry!”

Annabeth pulled out of the hug, “I’m perfectly fine Piper. And that’s where you went? On a date?” She laughed then her voice dropped lower, “Did you at least get lucky?”

Piper gasped, but smiled, glad her friend was alright, “Annabeth! I’ll tell you later when we’re not so close to-” she jerked her head in Jason’s direction. Annabeth laughed and told her she’d hold Piper to that promise. After that, Annabeth and Piper sat in companionable silence until they reached the pier. 

Jason, ever the gentlemen, offered the girls a ride back to their hotel. Percy and Annabeth appeared to be just fine overall. Neither of them seemed shaken by their experience. As soon as the boat docked, Percy ran towards the car yelling “SHOT GUN!” Piper spotted the hint of a smile at the corner of Annabeth’s mouth as she watched the dark haired surfer run. The whole boat ride, neither of them had said a word about how they ended up locking lips. It was killing Piper not to know what had happened on the water, but she was waiting until she was alone with her friend to pry. 

The second the door to their hotel room closed behind Piper, she rushed to Annabeth who had plopped down on her bed. Piper sat down on her bed across from Annabeth, drew her knees up to her chin and looked at her expectantly. Annabeth sighed and opened her eyes, “ I suppose you want to know every little detail that happened.”

“Yeah no shit.” Piper smiled as teased, “I want to know how you went from yelling at the guy to making out with him. Which by the way now that I think about it you two are really cute together.”

Annabeth glared, but started the story. “It was a while before we noticed you and Jason had left. By the time we did, we were miles away from the shoreline and had no idea which direction land was….” Annabeth didn’t have quite the way with words Piper did, but Piper soon became lost in the story the longer her friend talked.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Percy and Annabeth stared mouthed open at the endless expanse of blue around them. All thoughts of the argument they were having less than 10 seconds ago were replaced with a stream of frantic thoughts. Annabeth’s mind filled with all the books and articles she had studied just in case something like this ever happened to her. Despite remembering trivial details like authors names and chapter titles, Annabeth couldn’t come up with a single helpful idea. One of the first times in her life, she was at a loss for what to do. Surely Percy would have a better grasp of what to do in a situation like this since he lived here. Looking to Percy for reassurance, Annabeth hoped to find that this cocky surfer boy would have the answers. If anything though, Percy was more panicked than she was. Annabeth spotted the beginning signs of an anxiety attack in Percy’s face and mannerisms. His breathing had become shallow and fast when he realized their predicament and he didn’t seem to be taking any steps to calm himself. The hand that wasn’t holding onto the board was trembling near his face. 

Maybe it was because she realized that their argument was stupid or maybe it was because she didn’t want to think about being lost, but either way Annabeth turned and focused completely on Percy. She leaned over the board and looked him directly in the eye. Her hand reached out to firmly grasp and anchor his out of control tremors. Shocked, Percy returned her gaze as he struggled to suppress his rising fear. When she spoke, Annabeth’s voice was calm and clear. 

“Percy. Percy, focus on me.” Annabeth said as her eyes darted in between his green ones, “Don’t look anywhere but my face. I know this is nerve wracking, but you aren’t alone and we can get through this together.”

Percy was wound up so tight, it took him a while to find the words to respond. “I-I’ve never been in a situation like this. I can’t help it.”

Annabeth knew what Percy meant. She felt powerless and wanted to break down herself. And she might have, had Percy not been there. He gave her something to think about aside from the ocean so now she had to do the same for him. “See how I’m breathing?” Annabeth asked, “Deep and slow. I need you to watch and follow exactly when I breathe in and when I breathe out.” Percy’s eyes shifted from her face to her chest as he focused on the rising and falling of her breasts. She watched as his breathing slowly began to match hers and soon they were breathing in the same rhythm. For the next couple of minutes, the two of them shut everything out. Annabeth never once broke eye contact with Percy as she gave him space to calm down on his own. She couldn’t help but notice that the color of his eyes matched the ocean’s depths perfectly. The sea green pools that stared back at her were like no other color she had seen before. The longer they floated, being gently bobbed up and down by the water, the harder Annabeth tried to find some difference between Percy’s eyes and the ocean. While Annabeth was searching Percy’s eyes, she noticed his eyes flitting around her gray ones possibly thinking similar thoughts. 

Percy was the one that finally spoke out of the silence, “You know we wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you.” 

Just like that, the spell was broken and Annabeth said, “Are you kidding me? Do you want to start arguing again?” 

Percy’s hand scratched the back of his head, “ Well no not really, but it’s something to do other than worrying.” 

As fast as her anger came back, it slipped away again. So Percy obviously didn’t have a clue what to do and was looking for a distraction. Not that she blamed him, arguing would pass the time and it always helped to drop the responsibility of bad situations on someone else. Starting their fight back up wouldn’t do them any good plus Annabeth noted out loud, “This whole mess is both of our faults. We acted pig headed and blew a small misunderstanding out of proportion. Look where that got us, stranded, with only a surfboard between us.”

Percy smirked, “Was that almost an apology?” Annabeth rolled her eyes in response while he continued, “but you’re right. Let’s say that the fault lies equally between the two of us and call it good. Truce?” 

Annabeth nodded and said, “Truce.”

Percy smiled as another silence fell over them. This time however, the silence didn’t have a purpose and Annabeth started to feel awkward, not knowing what to say. It was getting later in the day, the sun no longer at the top of the sky. Sunset was still a couple hours away, but who knew how long they would wait until they were found. Annabeth had already been in the water for a while before meeting Percy and she was starting to get chilled. Her top half, exposed to the sun was warm, but her bottom half was cool. She wished she could get out of the water and dry off, but her towel could be miles away by now still sitting on the sand. 

As if he was reading her thoughts, Percy said, “Uh, I bet we could both fit on this board so we don’t have to stay in the water.” With the ease of someone who has been surfing for many years, Percy hoisted himself up out of the water and flung a leg over the side of the board. Once situated, he held out his hand for Annabeth. She bobbed higher in the water and reached around his wrist for a better grip. Prepared to pull the majority of her weight up herself, Annabeth was surprised when Percy pulled her clean out of the water and plopped her down on the board. She managed a “Thanks” as she swung her leg over to sit on the opposite side of the board. 

Facing each other now, Annabeth could see beneath Percy’s shoulders and get a better look at the parts of him had been previously hidden. She had wrongly assumed that Percy was merely skinny and upon closer inspection, she noticed his body was wiry and muscular, his abs well defined and glistening from the water. A blush spread across her cheeks as she realized she had been staring for too long. Hopefully Percy didn’t notice, Annabeth had a feeling that he tended to be oblivious to most things. It was a little disconcerting to be this close to him. After all, she just met the guy not even a half hour ago. Should she say something? What would she say? The only thing she knew about Percy was that he surfed and was as stubborn as she was. 

It was Percy who broke the silence a second time. He asked jokingly, “Wanna play iSpy or something?”

Annabeth laughed, “I don’t think that game would last very long.”

“Well just don’t pick the ocean! Here I’ll start, uhhhhh I spy with my little eye something yellow.”

“Is it my hair?”

Percy’s eyes darted down as he said, “Yeah. Okay, maybe this game is a little too easy in our present location. How about twenty questions!? It might help pass the time and we could get to know a bit more about each other.” 

Spending time in conversation was much more appealing than hours of awkward silence so Annabeth agreed. “I’ll go first. What’s your last name?”

“Jackson. And yours?”

“Chase. Why do you live in Hawaii, Mr. Jackson?”

“I came here and enrolled in the University of Hawaii on a swimming scholarship. Full ride. My mom and I don’t have a lot of money so it was this or a two-year community college. Now why are you here Miss Chase?”

“Graduation present. Are you just going to copy my questions or are you going to ask your own?”

“I’ll get around to it! Don’t pressure me,” Percy pointed at her, “and that totally counted as a question.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes, “Fine, then that means it’s your turn.”

Percy bit his bottom lip as he thought of a question. “What was your biggest dream growing up?” He asked. 

“This sounds odd, but it was always my dream to be an architect. The thought of creating something that will stand the test of time appealed to me. Sometimes I still like to imagine future generations admiring my designs.”

“So that means you fulfilled your dream and became an architect?”

“Hey! It was my turn to ask, but yeah I graduated with an employment offer from an architecture firm a couple blocks from where I live. Also, I’m counting that question.”

Percy shrugged, “Fair enough.”

“Alright lets see, what type of swimming do you compete in? Like what races?” 

Percy answered, “Mainly freestyle and backstroke, but I do like relay races as well.” And that’s how the next hour or so went, with the two of them firing questions back and forth. Annabeth was keeping count in her head and they past the twenty question mark quickly, but she enjoyed talking to Percy so much, she didn’t mention it. Annabeth learned that Percy was ranked fourth nation wide for swimming in his age group. And she told Percy about her binder filled with building designs. It contained every structure she had every imagined since she was seven years old. He made her promise to show it to him sometime. 

Annabeth couldn’t believe how badly she had judged this lanky surfer when they first met. The more they talked, the more she found things about him that surprised her. Percy talked about his mother as if she was the most wonderful woman in the world. It made Annabeth a little jealous considering her not so wonderful relationship with her father and stepmother, but watching Percy light up when he talked about Sally Jackson left a smile on Annabeth’s face. He was fiercely loyal to his family and friends, quick to laugh, and one of the most sincere people Annabeth had ever met. After she told Percy about her horrible fear of spiders, expected him to laugh at her, and all he said was, “I don’t blame you, those fuckers are creepy,” she felt comfortable telling him anything. 

It was then that the conversation took a turn to more serious matters. The two young adults fresh out of college shared their deepest insecurities with the other. Percy shared what it was like to meet his father for the first time and when learned that he had a half brother. Annabeth talked about when her father remarried and she ran away from home. She also talked about the unattainable standards her birth mom set for her, never feeling like she was good enough. Annabeth briefly thought this was dumb to be sharing so much with a stranger, but she couldn’t help it. There was a connection so tangible between them that it couldn’t be ignored. She even shared with Percy everything that had happened between her and her childhood friend/ex-boyfriend Luke. 

He stared at her with so much compassion and understanding that she couldn’t resist any longer. Annabeth grabbed the back of Percy’s head and leaned forward into a kiss. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as their lips met. His hands were large and warm on her lower back. Her fingers crept up into his hair and entangled themselves in the black mop. Percy’s mouth opened slightly as he slid Annabeth across the surfboard and pressed her closer to his body. 

He was so warm and responsive, knowing exactly where to put his hands. Annabeth had just thought that she could kiss him all day when water lapped up against her thigh. She broke away to look for what disturbed them and saw a Coast Guard vessel. Leaning against the railing, she spotted Piper smiling and waving her arms frantically. Annabeth smiled and waved back, relieved to have been found, but oddly sad that her time with Percy was over. 

 

“Aaaaaand you know the rest from here.” Annabeth finished. 

Piper stared at her friend as she said, “That. Was. Amazing. You had some kind of fairy tale romance thing going on.”

Annabeth tried to wave that comment off. “We did not. We were talking about some sensitive topics and were both vulnerable, I wouldn’t have kissed him otherwise.” 

“Don’t you lie to me Annabeth Chase, you felt a connection with Percy you haven’t felt since Luke.” Piper said as she poked Annabeth in the arm. Her friend was right, Annabeth did feel something strong, maybe even stronger than her feelings for Luke. She wasn’t about to tell Piper that though. Piper would just insist on setting her up with Percy and that would be embarrassing. Piper kept talking, “Anyway, there’s been a change of plans, we’re staying an extra week. I really hit if off with Jason and convinced my dad to pay for another week in paradise. Promise me you’ll call Percy at least once or I’ll call for you.”

Annabeth smiled already thinking about her next conversation with Percy, “I promise.”


End file.
